Basil Charles Godfrey Place
| Basil Charles Godfrey Place | |
|---|---|
Sub-Lieutenant Godfrey Place c.1941
|
|
| Born |
19 July 1921 Little Malvern, Worcestershire |
| Died | 27 December 1994 (aged 73) Holborn, London |
| Buried at | Corton Denham Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1935–70 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Albion (1966–67) HMS Ganges (1963–65) HMS Rothesay (1962–63) HMS Tumult (1955–56) HMS X7 (1943) |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Cross Cross of Valour (Poland) Commander of the Military Order of Aviz (Portugal) |
| Other work | Chairman of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association (1971–94) |
Rear Admiral Basil Charles Godfrey Place, VC, CB, CVO, DSC (19 July 1921 – 27 December 1994), known as Godfrey Place, was an officer in the Royal Navy and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
He was 22 years old, and a lieutenant in the Royal Navy during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 22 September 1943 at Kåfjord, North Norway, Lieutenant Place, commanding Midget Submarine X7, and another lieutenant (Donald Cameron) commanding Midget Submarine X.6, carried out a most daring and successful attack on the German Battleship Tirpitz. The two submarines had to travel at least 1,000 miles from base, negotiate a mine-field, dodge nets, gun defenses and enemy listening posts. Having eluded all these hazards they finally placed the charges underneath the ship where they went off an hour later, doing so much damage that Tirpitz was out of action for months.
The full citation was published in a supplement to the London Gazette of 18 February 1944 (dated 22 February 1944) and read:
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